The deceased’s family had to make the arduous trek because their tribal hamlet, Regulagudem at Komatipalli village in Mangapet block, lacks road connectivity.

As the lack of road connectivity would not permit an ambulance into the village, Madakam Jogaiah’s sons converted his bed into a makeshift stretcher which they then carried on their shoulders through the dense woods.(HT Photo)

A 48-year-old tribal suffering from high fever died while he was being carried on a bed by relatives to a community health centre located nearly five kilometres away from their residence in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Sunday evening.

The deceased’s family had to make the arduous trek because their tribal hamlet, Regulagudem at Komatipalli village in Mangapet block, lacks road connectivity.

Madakam Jogaiah, a member of the Gothi Koya tribe, had been suffering from high viral fever for the last one week. Though local health workers of the Kamalapur sub-centre administered basic medical treatment, his condition failed to improve. Jogaiah’s condition further deteriorated on Sunday, following which his sons decided to take him to the community health centre at Eturunagaram. As the lack of road connectivity would not permit an ambulance into the village, they converted Jogaiah’s bed into a makeshift stretcher which they then carried on their shoulders through the dense woods.

Jogaiah, however, breathed his last midway and was declared dead on arrival at the health centre.

District medical and health officer Allem Appaiah told Hindustan Times that members of the Gothi Koya tribe, who migrated into the Eturnagaram forest from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, have been existing without basic amenities such as electricity and road connectivity. “Despite our efforts, they insist on staying deep in the forest. This results in lack of timely medical attention when they are in need,” he said.

Appaiah said his department conducts regular medical camps in tribal areas, and gives away medicines free of cost. “However, it is difficult to provide timely treatment during emergency situations, and they are forced to walk several kilometres to reach neighbouring health centres,” he added.

The migration of Gothi Koya tribals to Telangana from Chhattisgarh following the anti-Maoist Operation Greenhunt by security forces has become a major challenge for forest department officials, who allege that they cause untold damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Eturangaram wildlife sanctuary.